INTERNATIONAL PRACTICAL SHOOTING CONFEDERATION

INTERNATIONAL PRACTICAL SHOOTING CONFEDERATION

Information from their website

So, you saw an article in the paper or on TV about action shooting. Just what is action shooting? It is the fastest growing segment of the shooting industry. Action shooting emulates reality by setting up a shooting scenario that changes from stage to stage and match to match.

Your scores are adjusted by the time it takes you to successfully complete each course of fire. Think of it as a bunch of little action scenes you participate in and you are tested for your ability to hit the target and the speed at which you can accomplish the mission.

Each shooter navigates the same course, points are deducted for faults and misses and the scores added up. Action shooting includes IPSC, IDPA, L10, and COWBOY ACTION SHOOTING.

Someone had to organize this chaos and along came Lt. Col. Jeff Cooper. He created the sport of "Practical Shooting" which grew to become IPSC...pronounced "IP-SIC". For that's what Jeff Cooper is to the action shooting sports. He is the beginning of the "shooting sports". If you wish to know more about this unique individual, just google "Jeff Cooper"

IPSC: World wide

This is one of the more established and exciting style of action shooting and had its origins in California in the early '50s. It quickly spread over the next few years to other continents including Europe, Australia, Central and South America, and Africa.

The International Practical Shooting Confederation (IPSC) was officially founded at the International Pistol Conference held in Columbia, Missouri, in May 1976. Forty people from around the world were invited to attend this conference in order to determine the nature and future of practical marksmanship. Colonel Jeff Cooper was acting Chairman and acclaimed as the first IPSC World President.

Life emulating scenarios, with pistol and shotguns, moving targets, real life props, add a certain amount of realism and elevated blood pressure (it's called EXCITEMENT) to the shooting arena. It has branched into specialty sections like the Bianchi Cup, Steel Challenge and Second Chance. Competition shooting suddenly became interesting and alive and grew at a very fast pace. So did the firearms. So did the cost and exoticness of the weapons, holsters and scenarios. This led a few players to another direction.

Twenty five years ago, it was the only game in town. Even before compensators were invented most shooters used tricked out 1911 Colts or S&W revolvers. There was no high capacity pistols available that could make the major power factor so you basically were shooting what today is IDPA.

But, IPSC had virtually no limits on firearms modification. Before any of us knew what was happening the equipment race was on. First it was compensators, then it was smaller calibers, then high capacity frames for 1911 pistols and almost simultaneously electronic dot scoped optics became the rage.

Each of these advancements brought more new people into the custom gunsmithing, parts manufacturing and optics business. The basic laws of economics eventually eliminated many of these operations. Due to poorly made products, or poor workmanship, and sometimes poor business practices. Overall, though, the people involved in all these companies drove research and development and firearms manufacturers to produce better firearms with custom modifications right from the factory.

So when other shooting sports participants comment IPSC as being too equipment or competition oriented, they should also consider the contributions this great sport has made to firearms development and Action Style Shooting. Some of those other participants have quite a bundle in their costumes and other ancillary gear too. They are all fun and thats what counts.

IPSC is still the most dynamic of the action shooting sports and it is expensive from an equipment standpoint and highly competitive on the talent end. Some of the worlds best shooters congregate here.

The two classes basically are Unlimited and Limited with internal rankings A, B, C, D etc. from neophyte to world class PRO's. There is a new classification "Production Minor" that is geared more toward real life semi-auto pistols. But still these handguns are not the small concealable ones. Glock 22, Beretta 92, and full-size SIGs are this pistols of choice. IPSC has lowered the power factor to 165. There is a lot more on this organization just Google "IPSC".